ever had mappers block ?

Ever wanted to make wads but for some reason you just get a block in the process after making a room, or some sectors ?

I currently am gathering many weird concepts and unfinished wads because of this. Maybe people could share some unfinished wads in the hopes somebody completes hem or gets inspired by them.

here is by example a DOOM2 map i just literally cant finish, so now it is free for all :

https://www.dropbox.com/s/qtb8mnhpte55f24/unfinished_gateofhell.wad

Basically, if you're mapping for recognition or something, if you think "it would be cool to make an awesome wad, then post it on doomworld and get lots of positive comments", then this will always happen. Thinking like "I just want to make a wad" = guaranteed fail.

The true way of mapping is when you get some idea and you want to transform it into WAD format, not to show to others but just because you want to see your idea coming to life, you really want to do it. If you map this way then you shouldn't really have any blocks. And when you don't have any ideas you simply don't map and don't really worry about it.

i have millions of ideas and i realy enjoy it. I just have some wads i cant finish for some reason. I cant give less about what people see or not see.

Nobody can ever claim that every map they make will get finished or becomes something of awe, then you would be fooling yourself. Stuff like 'people should not be mapping if ...' is just wrong. to me this is the same as drawing and digital painting, it is something i do because i like it.

I might try to PSX-ify it.

ever had mappers block?

Yes. It sucks.

My problem is more that I want the map to already be done in my vision than to actually have to make it, if my mapping has stopped. The ideas are all there, but I lose interest in actually creating them. I'm starting to suspect there's some kind of subconscious fear involved now - either of failing to realise the ideas properly or fear that it won't be viewed as highly by others as it is by me, perhaps. If the latter, then Memfis' explanation does cover it.

Finished the map.

i do indeed have ideas in my head when mapping but lose interest very quickly. lately I've been trying to see how fast I can make a deathmatch map in an hour or less as that's all I can do nowadays.

Sometimes when I'm attempting to make an SP map, but just can't decide what to do with it or begin losing interest in the idea behind the map, I'll overhaul it a little and make it into a DM map.

I find that just dicking around in Doom Builder can lead to some fun results every now and then, I've tried going in without any idea at all, just let my hands start plopping lines down.. Sometimes it ends well, sometimes, not as much. If you have an idea you really love, that does make it easier generally speaking.

I try not to 'force' a map - Sometimes, you just have to hold off til the right idea hits you, then suddenly you're slaving over DB for 4 hours and loving it.

It never hurts to contact other mappers and ask about collaboration either :)

I try to sketch instead of sitting empty infront of the PC.

ever had mappers block?

All the fucking time. I'll get ideas, start putting them to work, and then... nothing. It can take months just to finish a simple vanilla map unless I've got everything for it planned out.

Sometimes. Recently, I was going to make a "sequel" to a wad of mine called Bleeding Skies, but I couldn't get anything.

Superluigieth1 said:

Finished the map.

I just finished it, i died around 4 times but it was a fun slaughter-fest. (via zandronum) Nice after edit :)

with me it is always this :
1 - i get this idea which looks and plays awesome in my mind.
2 - start mapping on it.
3 - Finish half of 1 map
4 - suddenly i lose interest or the idea fades away.
5 - i start doing 3 other things at the same time (drawing, etc...)

XCOPY said:

You are mapping for the attention whoring/feed your ego = your map will either suck or you won't finish it at all. Rarely anything good comes out that way.

i laughed a bit at this, there are all sorts of people and everything is possible, but i would not be able to get into that mindset. it just seems funny to me.

I do have mapper's block. But first:

Superluigieth1 said:

Finished the map.

I can't help myself but to make comments on a map I see. :) So, you really went overboard with coloured lighting, it actually eliminated colours from textures and sprites more than anything else (specially in software renderer, but not only). The fights are also way too easily skippable. In order to enjoy the game as an actual game, player must decide to fight (not skip) all the monsters. If he does so, yes, it's fun. Monster placement makes for a good and (how to say it) "non-confusing" challenge, ammo and health are unbalanced though. They need more care than to just throw numerous shell boxes and medikits around.

And now more on topic of the thread. My experience leads me to disagree with Memfis and XCOPY in their opinions:

Memfis said:

Basically, if you're mapping for recognition or something, if you think "it would be cool to make an awesome wad, then post it on doomworld and get lots of positive comments", then this will always happen. Thinking like "I just want to make a wad" = guaranteed fail.

The true way of mapping is when you get some idea and you want to transform it into WAD format, not to show to others but just because you want to see your idea coming to life, you really want to do it. If you map this way then you shouldn't really have any blocks. And when you don't have any ideas you simply don't map and don't really worry about it.

XCOPY said:

You are mapping to make a good looking map and you are liking the results = you will finish, regardless of what others will say.

You are mapping because your own map provides tons of fun for yourself = you will finish, regardless of what others will say.

You are mapping for the attention whoring/feed your ego = your map will either suck or you won't finish it at all. Rarely anything good comes out that way.

This does not apply, at least for me. I don't start or do a creative work because "I just want to make something", or because of anything like a "fame". Not at all. I always do it because I've got an idea and loads of enthusiasm to implement it, at that moment. I don't really think about other people in such a moment, I only have one thought in my mind: "It'll be great!" That's how I start projects (mapping, coding, sprite recoloring, making or selecting resources) and how I sign up for community projects.

Later on, I start to see negatives of the idea (or my implementation of it) and my enthusiasm vanishes. At first, I don't know how to continue well, and halt work. Secondly, as a result, I move my interest to something else (possibly another idea/work).

Unfortunately this usually happens before I have done anything to a releasable state, or at least a state to show something interesting. So I have lots of random, never-to-be-seen horrible thingies on my hard drive. They're not worth it in their state of completion, at all. I've enjoyed making them, and well, I've moved on.

I'm glad that I haven't immediately announced every of the random idea maps/projects I've started. I actually did it in a couple cases and the projects have failed, respectively I have failed to finish them. But I'll try to at least to do something for the current project in motion, which is Switcheroom 2. Many other people have already done great maps for it, and I'm sorry that I'm dragging it with my own submissions. However, currently I have a certain real-life worry (final year exams) as a priority.

To deal with mapper's block, when you don't know how to well continue with your work - I can recommend going to do something else for a while. Whatever you like. Maybe also play some wads. Maybe do brainstorming, write / draw on paper how you'd want your map to be. Then return to your map and, well, even if you don't feel like it, advance at least a bit (draw a few sectors, improve thing placement or something). It may help you to give you a kick to continue, too.

i advise the after edit made by a forum member, the thing i posted is empty and useless.

XCOPY said:

"EUREKA! I'm totally doing this *works in a map based on that idea*. BORING! But I will finish it anyway cuz I can!"

I will assume you failed to express yourself and show what I imagine you wanted to say: the ones you finished, you found some fun in them or they were beautiful somehow.

Not sure what exactly you mean, but I wanted to say something like this:

"I'm totally doing this *works in a map based on that idea*."

*mapper's block strikes*

"I still want to continue, but cannot, grr!"

*it doesn't get better*

"Screw it, I have other things to do."

*gets another exciting idea and never finishes the original project* (=Moved on.)
*the original project is so horribly unfinished, that I cannot even show it to anyone* (=It's not worth to be shown to anyone.)
*however, making it (the unfinished original) wasn't a complete waste of time, because I've enjoyed creating it at that moment, and it gave me an experience*

FireFish said:

Nice after edit :)

Thanks, it took me 2 hours. :P

for two hours of editing an odd and stupid map this isnt bad.
Only some minor item placement bugs (stuck in walls), and an overactive colored light, and skip all monster problems.

FireFish said:

for two hours of editing an odd and stupid map this isnt bad.
Only some minor item placement bugs (stuck in walls), and an overactive colored light, and skip all monster problems.

I don't care about criticism with this map. All I want it to do is feel like PSX.

No problem, i enjoyed playing it anyway.

scifista42 said:

To deal with mapper's block, when you don't know how to well continue with your work - I can recommend going to do something else for a while. Whatever you like. Maybe also play some wads. Maybe do brainstorming, write / draw on paper how you'd want your map to be. Then return to your map and, well, even if you don't feel like it, advance at least a bit (draw a few sectors, improve thing placement or something). It may help you to give you a kick to continue, too.

I found this to be truth, i did get blocked for the map I made recently for this year tournament at arcades3d and playing some other maps did help me to get some ideas.
===================
I do not find good to map just to get a name in the comunity, if you want to map do it becuase theres an idea you will like to see in a mod.

Something else I had to deal is that sometimes I start hating the map and I dont want to continue it anymore, but I never delete them, I keep it to recycle some part in the future.

I am perfectionist, am rather new to mapping, and usually I lose interest in my projects rather quickly.
I have two projects I'm working on on and off. My oldest one, which is actually my first wad, has a few sectors and has some rather interesting design ideas IMO, but right now it's literally a straight line, and I have no idea where to make it go next (or I'm just too lazy to change it.) The second one has starting room with some okay aesthetics (one of the hanging corpses with guts splattered on the ground below) and then a hallway that leads out into a techbase-themed courtyard with a teleporter hidden in a sewer entrance, yet since I am new to doom mapping I don't know how to make the teleporter work.

Basically,

1. get idea for a map

2. start the map

3. get burned out/bored/distracted quickly OR get stumped on a problem due to being a noob

4. ignore map for months

fyi, I've been working on my first wad on and off for a year now...

Gothic Box said:

I don't know how to make the teleporter work.

It is simple once you know it.

put the teleport destination in a sector with a unique sector tag nr, then a teleportation linedef action somewhere you want while giving that linedef THE SAME tag nr. as the unique destination sector.

if you do not link them by number tags, you might end up with a very random teleporter if there are more than one, in a lot of source ports.

so a teleport special linedef with sector tag 20 will always teleport to a sector tagged 20 if there is a teleport destination thing there.

Yup, believe it or not... I get mappers block quite often.

[quote]ever had mappers block?

Scale of one to ten

Hells End V1 - 1
Hells End V2 - 5
Dead Anomaly - 6.5

Its just frustrating when an idea taunts you, making you sit at your editor and stare like an idiot. Once an idea flashes, get the editor up ASAP.

My main problem for mappers block is the name I sub choose for it.

Massive. Chronic. Mapper's Block.